OCA MOURNS DEATH OF LILY CHIN

For Immediate Release; June 10,
2002; Contact: Giles Li 202-223-5500

The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA)
sends its deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Lily Chin, whopassed
away yesterday, Sunday, June 9 at the age of 82 in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Ms. Chin was the mother of the late Vincent
Chin, who was beaten to death in a hate crime 20 years ago this month by two
white autoworkers who blamed Japan for the downfall of the American auto
industry. Although Vincent Chin was a Chinese American, his ignorant murderers
took out their anger on him, an innocent man prepared to wed in a matter of
days. Over the past two decades,
Ms. Chin has become an inspiration for the entire Asian Pacific American (APA)
community.

Considering the 20th anniversary of her son's
death takes place next week on Wednesday, June 19, the death of Ms. Chin is even
more tragic. OCA joins the entire APA community in mourning the loss of a strong
and courageous woman. She had
established a scholarship fund in memory of her son, which is administered by
American Citizens for Justice.

The following death notice has been prepared by
the family and friends of Mrs. Lily
Chin, for release on June 10, 2002:

Mrs. Lily Chin, 1920-2002

Mrs. Lily Chin, formerly of Oak Park, Michigan,
passed away at the age of 82 on June 9, 2002 at 1:55 am at the Farmington Hills
(Mich.) Health Center, after a long illness. A beloved figure in the Asian
American community of metropolitan Detroit, she was the mother of Vincent Chin,
who was killed by two autoworkers in 1982. Mrs. Chin lived these last 20 years
following her son's death with great dignity and strength, and to many people
she represented tremendous moral courage in the face of injustice.

She often expressed her gratitude to all those
around the country who had been so kind and supportive to her. Born
in Heping, China in Guangdong Province, Mrs. Chin came to the U.S. after World
War II to marry David Bing Hing Chin, a Chinese American World War II veteran
and a resident of Highland Park, Michigan. David Chin had worked in Detroit's
laundry's and restaurants. Lily Chin became an active member of
Detroit's Chinese American community, and in the early 1960s, she and her
husband adopted Vincent, their only child. On the eve of her son's
bachelor party on June 19, 1982, he was brutally attacked and
killed.

Mrs. Chin had courageously persevered in the
fight for justice in her son's murder and the subsequent trials of her son's
killers, Chrysler plant superintendent Ronald Ebens, and his stepson, Michael
Nitz. She never gave up in her quest for justice and her hope that no other
mother would lose a child from hate and prejudice.

For the last 15 years, after the legal efforts
on her son's behalf ended with the acquittal on appeal of Ronald Ebens, Mrs.
Chin moved to China, after spending most of her life in Detroit as a U.S.
citizen. She left her longtime home in Oak Park because it was too
painful to continue to be reminded of the hate killing and injustice against her
son. A civil judgment of $1 million was levied against Ronald Ebens,
but he successfully evaded making payment despite efforts of community groups to
enforce the judgment. Mrs. Chin had planned to live out her years in China,
until her illness brought her back to family and friends in Detroit.

Vincent Chin's slaying came to symbolize
anti-Asian violence nationally and internationally. His death took place in the
climate of a protracted national anti-Japanese and anti-Asian
hysteria. In the moments before the fatal attack, witnesses
overheard Ronald Ebens' say to Vincent, "It's because of you m-therfuckers
that we're out of work."

After Wayne County Judge Charles Kaufman
sentenced the confessed killers to only three years' probation and fines for
their vicious bludgeoning attack on Chin, a civil rights movement of Asian
Americans was born, led by Detroit-based American Citizens for Justice, with
Mrs. Lily Chin's active involvement. Her legacy, and her son's, was
recorded in the Academy-award nominated documentary film, "Who Killed
Vincent Chin?," which has been viewed by millions of Americans.

Federal prosecutors eventually brought forth the
first criminal civil rights prosecution involving an Asian American victim in
U.S. history. Asian American efforts on Vincent Chin's behalf and
other victims of hate crimes led to a broadening of federal hate crimes
prosecutions. June 19, 2002 marks 20 years since the fatal assault on Vincent
Chin, and numerous commemoration events are scheduled around the country.

In Detroit, a teach-in will be held on June 21
and a grave side memorial for Vincent is planned for June 23; for information
see the website at: http://rededication.cjb.net.
Other events honoring Mrs. Chin and Vincent Chin are planned in Los Angeles, New
York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.

Mrs. Chin had established a scholarship in
Vincent's memory, to be administered by American Citizens for Justice; donations
may be sent to ACJ at P.O. Box 2735, Southfield, MI 48037. She was a
member of the Farmington Hills Chinese Bible Church. She leaves
behind a sister, Amy Lee and nephew Lewis Lee, both of Farmington Hills, niece
Jenny Lee of Troy, as well as several other sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews
across the U.S., in Hong Kong and China.

A public memorial service will be held on
Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 10:00 am. The funeral home is William
Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, 705 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Royal Oak, just west of
Woodward; (248) 541-7000. At 11:00 am, Saturday, there will be a
funeral procession to Forest Lawn Cemetery, onVan
Dyke Ave., south of McNichols, in Detroit.